https://www.facebook.com/104944101537797/

Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts, n/a, Tamworth (2026)

16/11/2025

Hello everyone! It's tiller pin time at the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊

Here's a selection of some of the tiller pins I have in stock - they make great gifts or just an addition to your own collection!

All my tiller pins are made from solid brass, with a solid brass pin threaded and soldered into the base.

I've added prices to the photo captions, and I'm happy to post if needed (P&P for these pins is £4).

Drop a comment if you are interested in these, or if you pop over to my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts you'll find my phone number and email address if you prefer to get in touch that way.

You can also visit my shop at Glascote Basin in Tamworth, open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 10am til 4pm.

10/11/2025

Hiya! Happy Monday! Cave of Shiny Things here 😊 Here's some of my chimney chains that I have recently completed, plus a few other interesting bits I currently have for sale.

My chimney chains are each unique and different, and I also make them to order with your own design ideas. All of them are designed to do the job they are supposed to do - catch your chimney if it falls, and not break!

The flat link chains I make from scratch, each link is handmade from solid brass wire and strip, and then silver soldered together. I then solder the bosses on to ornament the chain.

The twisted link chains are taken from solid brass stock chain and made to length, with rings at each end for securing. I choose different ornaments for each chain, to create a pleasing look.

The three chains in the pictures here are for sale, or if you have an idea of a chain you would like, to match your boat name or to signify something important to you, please get in touch. I'm always happy to discuss ideas!

If you are interested in these or any other items on show here, get in touch! Also check out my tiller pin selection in my last post, and the vintage and second hand items I post regularly.

You can drop me a comment below, or if you pop over to my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts you'll find all of my contact details.

The shop is open at Glascote Basin in Tamworth on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am til 4pm and all are welcome to visit for a browse and a closer look at what I do 😊

I'm also happy to post most items, please ask for details!

07/11/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊 Here's my latest batch of tiller pins, prices start at £20 (not including postage).

All solid brass, with the pins threaded and soldered in. Dogs, cats, owls and even an elephant here, among others!

These are just a small selection of the tiller pins I have available, if you're looking for anything specific please ask - I also do conversions to order.

My shop is at Glascote Basin, Tamworth and it is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am til 4pm - always welcome to pop in for a look! Tiller pins are just a part of all the shiny things on show at the shop - check out my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts for more of what I do, and all my contact details 😊

Postage is not a problem for these and many other things, details available on request. Thanks for looking!

19/10/2025

Happy Sunday from the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊

Some photos of a few bits and bobs I have been asked to sell.... there is -

- a few fenders, unused
- two 5 1/4" stove chimneys, vgc
- a short stainless steel 6" stove chimney, hardly used
- two genuine Ecofans, second hand
- one magnetic flue mounted stove fan, used
- two Dunton Double windlasses
- an assortment of second hand windlasses
- a set of three foundry ladles, blacksmith made
- a Guidi raw water intake filter (aka mudbox), high quality manufacture, fitted but unused
- a reel of 12mm high quality English Braids Hempex style rope. This I can sell per metre or made up into spliced ropes.

If you're interested in any of the items listed, or anything else you've seen in the photos, please get in touch. You can drop a comment below, or if you pop over to my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts you'll find all my contact details.

Located in Tamworth, at Glascote Basin. Shop is open Fri, Sat & Sun, 10am til 4pm. Postage for most items is available, get in touch for details 😊

Have a fantastic day everyone, and I hope to see you soon!

11/10/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊

Here's a tiller pin I was commissioned to make for one of my customers. The Viking came to me missing his axe, so I made him a new one, engraved it with a Celtic knot design and attached a chain so it can't be lost again.

The customer was very happy with it and so am I! I love unusual projects like this and making the axe from scratch was great fun!

Hope you enjoy the pics, and if you have an unusual project you'd like me to help with, get in touch!

Based at Glascote Basin, Tamworth, I have all sorts of unusual items on offer - take a look around the shop or give me a shout! You'll find loads of past projects and other things I've been up to, along with all my contact details, on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts

Hope to see you soon and have a fantastic weekend!

27/09/2025

Hiya! Cave of Shiny Things here 😊 Something a little bit different today...

I've been getting back into my crafty stuff recently, here are some of my handcrafted, repurposed hanging forks.

All the drop adornments are made from a mix of semiprecious stones, glass and shell beads - no plastic here! - and mounted on silver-plated copper wire. The forks used are EPNS (silver plated), and the cream-coloured handles are made of horn.

They make a great gift, for yourself or for someone else 😊 I can also take requests on these, if you have a colour theme you would like. They can also be posted if needed.

Drop a comment below or get in touch - all my contact details are over on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts - and of course the shop is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (10am til 4pm) at Glascote Basin in Tamworth if you fancy a visit to see all the interesting things I have available!

Looking forward to seeing you soon! 😊

26/09/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊 Just a quick post to let everyone know I still have lots of interesting stock available at the shop at Glascote Basin!

I'm open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (10am til 4pm) here in Tamworth, all welcome to pop over for a look!

Some items discounted, and bulk enquiries attract even more discount!

You can contact me via email, text, WhatsApp or Messenger, my phone number and all other contact details can be found on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts

Always happy to help! 😊

19/09/2025

***THIS ITEM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE *** Thank you everyone for your interest!

FREE STUFF!! 🤣 Here at the Cave of Shiny Things I also act as a place for people to pass on their unwanted items to others!

This cratch cover was dropped off to me just now - the old owner has had a new cover fitted and no longer needs this one. It is used, of course. On brief inspection there is a zip repair required but I didn't notice any holes or rips in the canvas. The windows aren't cloudy so it looks to have some life left in it.

Due to lack of storage - which we can all relate to! - it will need to go ASAP. I will be here all weekend if someone would like to claim it.

Quick measurements - apx 195cm front to back and apx 1m bottom to top on the cabin side.

No charge, free to collector 😊

You can collect from my shop at Glascote Basin (B77 2AH).

Please share this post or tag your friends below, let's find it a new home!

All my contact details are on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts - if you definitely want it but can't collect this weekend let me know. If I don't hear from anyone it'll be going in the skip!

18/09/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! 😊 Just a quick post today to show a project I completed for a customer a couple of weeks ago. It is now with the very happy customer and I'm so pleased it is what they wanted!

I was asked to join a lamp font to a bracket to allow it to be mounted on a wall. I used part of the original base silver soldered to the bracket - this retains the thread so that the font can be removed from the bracket in future if necessary.

Hope you all enjoy the photos!

I'm still open at Glascote Basin on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays if you're in the area and fancy popping in. You can also get in touch by phone, email, WhatsApp or Messenger - all my contact details are available on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts

Hope to see you soon!

22/08/2025

The Cave of Shiny Things is back! 😊

Heres a few photos from the last week or so, I hope you enjoy!

I've got a lot of work to do before I can move on to the next phase... in the meantime I will be open at the shop at Glascote Basin on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am til 4pm.

With the current issues with water levels, I hope that everyone is managing ok and have managed to find a safe spot to wait it out.

Hope to see you all soon, and of course give me a shout if you have any questions or need some help. You can find all my contact details over on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts - hope to see you all soon!

05/08/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! Announcement time.... 😊

Things are changing at the Cave - I have a new and exciting venture that I will be revealing over the next month or so - stay tuned for updates! All will become clear (as and when it becomes clear to me 🤣)

Suffice to say that I am planning to move the Cave of Shiny Things on to a boat and become a roving trader! When this move happens I will not be doing much new, off the shelf, chandlery items any more - I will be making my crafty stuff, repairing and restoring, and retaining all the shiny stuff I've become known for 😊

So I'll still be the Cave of Shiny Things - it'll just be a floating Cave! I will also still be able to offer customers advice and tips on chandlery items - you can always get in touch for pointers, and depending on discussions with suppliers, I may be able to offer some kind of ordering service for chandlery.

With this on the horizon the shop at Glascote Basin will be closed from Monday 11th August, reopening on Friday 22nd August.

When I'm back from this working break (after Friday 22nd August) I will be reducing the opening hours of the shop in order to concentrate on preparing for the new venture. After this time I will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (10am til 4pm) , hoping that will give me enough time to get the boat up and running while still providing a service to customers.

I have already spoken to some people about my future plans and if you're a regular customer I haven't contacted yet please feel free to give me a shout and ask any questions you may have. That also applies to anyone I haven't managed to get in touch with yet who has left stuff with me to be sold or repaired - please get in touch and we can have a chat about how you would like to move forwards.

Heartfelt thanks go to all my customers and friends who have been so supportive and encouraging while I have been working through the decision process - I appreciate you all, a lot 😊

I will of course be updating all of my wonderful followers here as the project progresses.

Have a wonderful afternoon everyone, and I hope to see you soon! My shop hours may be reducing, but I hope that by being open over the weekends I will still be able to help you lovely people in whatever you need, whether it's with advice or supply.

Hope that all makes sense and of course you can find all my contact details over on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts - if you're unsure about anything in the announcement, or would like to ask me any questions about how things will work going forwards, please get in touch.

Photos are a random assortment of things from the past few months, the semi rotary pump is still for sale but the Dunton windlass isn't - I finally managed to find one for my own collection 😊🥳

29/07/2025

Hello from the Cave of Shiny Things! Hope you are all well 😊 Today's featured items are -

- a very good condition railwaymans signal lamp, marked on the wick winder with 'Planlite - reg pat applied for'. It looks to be all original parts, including the burner parts. Although I couldn't find the exact same lamp online, similar lamps with the same markings are said to date from between 1920 and 1950. With this one saying the registered patent has been applied for, it's likely it is from the early part of this period, as later ones are fully patented.

- an interesting model/ornament based on an old diver's helmet, made in copper and brass. One of the glass lenses is missing but it is otherwise intact, and would make a lovely lano if someone is so inclined 😊

- a brass bodied mechanical pressure gauge, this is untested but there is very little to go wrong with these!

Interested in any of these items or something else in the photos, or that you've seen on my posts? Get in touch by leaving a comment below, or if you prefer to contact me directly you will find all my contact details on my Page Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts - you can also pop in to the shop at Glascote Basin in Tamworth (on the Coventry Canal). I'm always happy to help!

Looking forward to hearing from you! Have a fantastic day everyone 😁

Menzies Marineware and Handicrafts

16/11/2025

10/11/2025

07/11/2025

19/10/2025

11/10/2025

27/09/2025

26/09/2025

19/09/2025

18/09/2025

22/08/2025

05/08/2025

29/07/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share